I know you love peeking into my grocery cart and since you can’t all shop with me,you can join me on this virtual shopping spree. Do you peek into other peoples grocery carts as you pass them by in the store. I do! Especially in the big box stores like Costco and Sam’s Club. I always see things I missed. It kind of gives you an idea of the person’s lifestyle too. Since moving to a plant based diet, questions and comments from the clerks during the check out process have become common place. It’s an opportunity to share a little bit about why I eat this way and spread the word about healthy eating.

Nutmeg Notebook

In the fall I purchased a new Crock Pot slow cooker well since then 2 of the 3 feet fell off and there was no way to put them back on. I returned it to Macy’s and got this one instead. So far so good. It’s 7 qt capacity is perfect since I often double recipes so we have leftovers to freeze. It’s really sturdy – no feet to fall off and the electrical cord stores underneath it which I love.

Costco ShoppingNutmeg Notebook

On my last trip to Costco I found so many good produce buys fresh and frozen. Love the frozen organic berries for smoothies and soft serve. The cooked beets are perfect to toss into salads. Raw veggies for dipping in salsa and hummus. The HODO Soy firm tofu comes from Oakland CA. It’s the best tasting tofu I have had. Hubby Tom and I are really enjoying tofu these days. I have learned how to bake it and love it cooked that way. Who knew? Missing from this photo are the 4 bunches of bananas.

Costco Food FindsNutmeg Notebook

Costco has good prices on bags of nuts which store well in the freezer. They carry a lot more organic produce these days like pre-washed baby greens, organic celery and organic bananas. I wish the spinach they carry was pre-washed but it isn’t so I buy it at Sam’s Club or Whole Foods. Love the Balsamic vinegar and the Kirkland no salt seasoning. Sprinkle that seasoning on veggies, salads, soup, salad dressings and tofu!

Costco Food FindsNutsuallmeg Notebook

Usually I pass right on by those nice little ladies who are handing out samples except for this day. The Calimyrna Figs caught my eye and I had one. OMG – these babies are natures candy! So sweet, chewy and downright gooey. Add a couple almonds and some dark chocolate and you have yourself a natural candy bar. No Costco – no worries I have seen smaller bags of these figs at Whole Foods. Perfect for hiking, biking, picnics, lunch box and movie snacks. Yum. We eat a lot of apples around here so I got one container of organic Fuji and one of organic Gala. The Uber bars are something new and we have yet to open the box but they sure look good. They are Gluten Free, Non – GMO, Kosher and appear to be vegan although the box doesn’t say they are I am just going off the ingredient list. The Tofu Nuggets are also a new to me product and we have yet to try them. I will let you know about them after we have ourselves a little taste test. The Digestive Probiotic is for some recipes I want to make for non dairy sour cream and such.

Costco ShoppingNutmeg Notebook.

For being a good shopper and buying only healthy food I treated myself to a new work out shirt. It has a hood, long sleeves, super soft and light weight.

Kind GranolaNutmeg Notebook

Have you seen KIND brand granola? They sell it at Target and it can be found at many other stores. My girlfriend Judy sent this to me. It comes in different flavors so you can be sure to find one to satisfy your personal preference.

Kind GranolaNutmeg Notebook

It has excellent nutritional stats for a store bought granola and it tastes good too! It does contain some added canola oil but it’s way down on the ingredient list – like the 10th item. It contains “buckwheat” (which my daughter is allergic to – sorry Katy) and also chicory root fiber which can cause some folks lower GI distress. If you can handle those two items this is a good snack or addition to your breakfast. At just 120 calories per 1/3 cup you get enough to really enjoy with a cup of soy yogurt – yum! It’s also Gluten free. Thank you Judy! I love it.

OLOVESNutmeg Notebook

I won a big box of these OLOVES olives from Cammy’s giveaway over at The Tippy Toe Diet blog. Check out her blog if you aren’t already a fan of hers. I love her writing style, wit and humor. Plus she lost a lot of weight and has kept it off for years. Although we don’t subscribe to the same type of food plan, her insights on how to keep the weight off and her winning upbeat attitude will brighten your day. Now back to the OLOVES – which I LOVE. Seriously these little 50 calorie bags of flavored olives are the bomb. They are packed with extra oil and salt but for an occasional treat – I’m in. Perfect little pouches for your lunch bag, picnic basket or back pack. I wish you all could taste them. If you are in the neighborhood stop by – I have plenty to share.

Nutmeg Notes

So this turned into an epic post. If you are still with me thanks for making it all the way to the bottom of the page.

You may have noticed that I took an unplanned blogging break.

First we moved the blog to a new server and there were some behind the scenes issues which had to be remedied. By the time that gotten taken care of I had started having issues again with my sciatic nerve in my left leg. In fact I am standing as I type right now in order to keep the pressure off my nerve. Since that wasn’t enough pain to deal I got a flare up of bursitis in my left shoulder. Hello left side of my body – what did I do to you to deserve this? It’s been a couple of weeks now and I think it’s starting to get better. At least I want it to be. Then yesterday I got a blister on my – get this – left foot! I could only walk two miles this morning instead of my usual four. Just too much pain happening right now. But as my mother always says, “This too shall pass”.

If you follow the Nutmeg Notebook facebook page or instagram you have seen my posts about the Green Smoothie Challenge I have been participating in. It’s a great Vegan 7 day challenge to rid your diet of grains and sugar for either weight loss or to reboot your healthy diet. I will be writing more about it in my next post. Stay tuned for all the details and yes I have lost weight on it!

I have to tell you, we are in love with Kind bars and granola in this house. I only wish it wasn’t so pricey! Our favorite kind bar flavor is the dark chocolate sea salt one. OMG. So good. Better than candy! PS…I love costco clothes too! Cute shirt!

Kim Mathis says:

We eat both the Kind Bars & the Lara Bars in my house. We just love the Lara Bars so much. Most of them are Vegan & Non GMO. The packages are usually marked individually. Lara Bars make other bars than the Uber ones, if you didn’t see them at your store. Most of them are a date base with cashews or almonds & other nuts & fruits added in for different flavors. My husband, who is diabetic, can eat both the Kind Bars & Lara Bars without it affecting his blood sugars too much. We try to keep one or the other in the house at all times for that reason.

Does your crock pot hold a specific temperature since it’s digital? The problem with my crock pot is that it heats too high – I usually start something, have my husband turn it off around noon, then have him turn it back on around 4:00.

Loves me some fuji apples – they are the only apple I use to make the best apple pie.

Happy Friday!

Tami says:

It does not hold a specific temperature other than you have the choice of high or low temp. My old slow cooker ran really hot and would boil everything! Apple pie – boy doesn’t that sound good? Have a great weekend Biz!

Beverly says:

As always, I love your food finds! Especially now that we have a Costco and I can actually find the items you are talking about! I love to browse around in Costco, but my husband is a go in and get out kind of guy. I need to go on my own sometime just to look at everything they offer. I have never looked at anything in the middle (clothes, etc.) so that is definitely on my to do list! Unfortunately the last time I was in there to get a couple items, they didn’t carry them anymore. The cashier thought maybe they were seasonal, which is a bummer. We did end up buying stuff we did not go in there for, but isn’t that always the case!?

Tami says:

Hi Beverly! Oh you really need to go to Costco solo and have a good look around at the clothes, books, housewares and office supplies are. They do carry a lot of seasonal items and when they are gone they are gone! Oh yes we always leave with things that were not on the list! That’s part of the fun I guess.

Tami says:

Hi Cammy! The kinds words are well deserved – you do indeed inspire me with your great attitude as well as your successful weight loss and maintenance.
Oh do tell if you have success with making your own flavored olives. Great idea! Happy Weekend to you!

Tami says:

Hi Jody! You are so right these bod things are a pain to deal with! I am getting better, I walked the full 4 miles yesterday and it felt great to get out and move! I love my walks and when I don’t get them it messes with me big time. I hope you are feeling better and have a good weekend in the sunshine!

Tami says:

I am actually quite pleased with the variety of vegan and organic options at Costco these days. Even though I am only cooking for two of us we still find it beneficial to shop there. When you eat mostly plants you need a lot of them!